


Camp Terror

by hashtag_amf



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Morbius: The Living Vampire, Sinister Six - Fandom
Genre: Blood, Comics, F/M, Full Moon, Marvel Universe, Matter of Life and Death, Vampires, camping trip, haunted
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 15:10:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23174308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hashtag_amf/pseuds/hashtag_amf
Summary: Myths and monsters aren't real, or so Daniella thought. A camping trip was supposed to be the best thing that ever happened to her but throughout the trip, her dreams try to give her cryptic warnings and her instincts scream danger, Will she be able to decipher the warnings in time or will she and her friends pay with their lives?{Special thanks to @QueenAnnaLightwood for editing this book. Loads of love dear}
Comments: 2





	1. Prologue

They say you should enjoy life to its fullest. Life always has a way of giving you second chances and when you get that chance you should grab it. Well let me get this straight, my life story is damn boring.

Cassy would get all the attention of the boys while me, the nerd, would get trolled and bullied for being ‘the nerd’ that I am. Cassy would always give them a glare of ‘back off, no one hurts my friend’ attitude to the bullies, which was what I loved about her. She was the best friend I had. But I couldn’t be safe on other days. When Cassy would take a day off, the bullies would return and so would their insults. They would start with my hair about how it looked like a nest and my face like a destroyed art work. They would call me an ugly hag and tell me that the school didn’t have place for hags like me. I was in therapy before and I knew how to deal with people like them.

Instead of fighting back the bullies, I knew it was not in my blood to let their words affect me. so, I had made my mind that I would call them nice things. Literally, I swear. I would say, ‘oh your hair is lovely and shiny.’ And ‘how magnificent your face looked’. I remember the look on their faces. They would look at each other in utter confusion wondering what was wrong with me. They expected me to cry out in anger or back off into a corner but I was past that. I knew that if I did that, they would win. I would never keep their mean words in my head because I never wanted to see myself in that space in the future. But when one of the bullies threw a glass of raspberry milkshake on my white clothes, I was done.

I felt the liquid drip down my face, my hair and my body. They hooted in laughter and fist pumped each other looking at the handiwork they did on me. Now she would cry, they thought. The students in the cafeteria, were filming the entire thing on their phone. My reaction was something extremely surprising to them. I pounced on the huge fat bully who was as huge King Kong. My fist connected his jaw and he tumbled to the floor like a pack of cards. The entire cafeteria gasped witnessing John Cena punching Undertaker in the gut.

“Woohoo!” some students cheered; I don’t know whose side they were taking so I assumed they were taking my side.

That made me give another punch to his head, careful not to make him go into coma. His sidekicks came towards me, all giving me the ‘I’m so done with you’ and my hands went to his throat. They stopped in their tracks. “What are you doing! Leave him alone!!” they said frightened.

I gave them a lopsided grin. “You should’ve thought about that when you were bullying me.” The entire cafeteria was silent. Students gathered behind the sidekicks to get a better view of what I was doing with King Kong’s neck. I wrapped my hands tightly around his neck, just above his Adam’s Apple. “The next time, you bully me, you all will end up like.” I warned them and pushed his unconscious body towards them.

***

I avoided mom by entering from the back door. Thankfully she wasn’t in the kitchen so I dropped my back to the floor and put my hoodie in the washing machine with the rest of my clothes. Just as I picked my bag, I heard mom walk downstairs. “Honey, you’re home early?”

I smiled. “Yes. Class was over early.”

She looked at me confused. “I thought you and Cassy were going to spend time in the library.”

I sighed. “Mom, Cassy was sick.” And I wish she was there when I was bullied. I didn’t want to burden my mother with the anxiety of her only daughter getting bullied and then changing the school. I didn’t want to get away from Cassie. She was the only true friend I had.“So, we had to cancel plans.”

“Oh.” She said sympathetically. “That girl is sick every single month. I hope it’s nothing serious. Teenagers get all these weird sicknesses these days.” She said grumbling the last sentence.

“Mom, it’s a flu.” I reminded her. “Cassy is allergic to pet fur.” Her aunt had visited her last week and the dog went straight for her. Since then, Cassy hasn’t left her room. She’s a cleanliness freak.

“Oh whatever.” Mom said. “Her aunt shouldn’t have brought that dog while she was visiting. Such ghastly things dogs are.”

I about to tell her to stop calling dogs ghastly but I stopped myself. The more I told her not to say things like this, it was not likely she would listen. My mom has the habit of talking to herself.

After I had bath, I received Cassy’s text. _How was your day?_

_Terrible._ I replied

_What happened?_

_I was bullied. Again._

_No shit!!!_

I sighed. _Well, I wished the same. It was a nasty fight._

_Omg! Are you alright??_

_Nothing happened to me._ I typed and hit send. My poor hoodie had to suffer the raspberry attack. _The bully got a huge concussion. Told the sidekicks not to mess with me again._

_Oh fuck! You threatened them???_

_I had to! What else could I do. Do you know how miserable it was when the entire school was filming the entire incident?_

_I know. I know. _She replied. _But you shouldn’t have done that!!_

_Relax, he’s not dead._

_Hey! You know very well how powerful his parents are. One word and you’ll be out of the school._

I sighed. She was right. The more I told myself not to react to them, the harder it was for me to control my actions. I don’t like to cause a scene about such things in school. I didn’t want to be the school’s gossip. I fiddled with the strings on the pillow case.

The next day, everyone’s eyes were on me. I could hear them whispering about me. Some were giving me scared glances while the others were glaring at me. When I sat at my usual place in the cafeteria, the students on that table got up and left. The students on the nearby table scooted away from me. I pretended not to notice. Cassy had taken a day off again and I had to be vigilant in case the bullies returned.

“Hey.” Someone tapped on my back.

I kept my bagel on the plate and turned around. It was a skinny guy I hadn’t seen before.

“You are?” I asked chewing my food in my mouth.

“Hi, my name is Shawn.” He said.

“OK.” I said, unsure of what to do. Either he was one of the bullies or he was just another student trying to converse with me.

“What you did yesterday was phenomenal.” He said. His eyes lighting up.

My eyebrows rose slightly.

“No seriously. I saw all that you did and I should really thank you for doing that to Cole.” he said in a serious tone. I got the feeling that maybe he too was bullied.

My assumption was correct.

“He did the same thing to me last month and I didn’t do anything.” He sighed deeply and I gave him a reassuring smile.

“I’m sorry for you.”

“I’ve heard they’re thinking of expelling you from the school.” He said and my bagel turned sour in my stomach. “But don’t worry, me and my friends will make sure that doesn’t happen.”

I was taken aback by his kindness but I wondered how will a group of students make that happen considering how rich were Max’ parents. “You guys know that is impossible since---”

“We thought about all that, and students are filling in to support you.”

I was speechless. How could someone support a freak like me. It was a well-established fact that the students of my school hated to associate themselves with a nerd like me. So, why were a group of students being so good to me? I hadn’t done them any favour. Heck, I never ask anyone for a favour. “You’re serious.” I don’t know if it was a question or a statement. Students of my school could make you a jackass at any place and at any time. I was in no mood to be the butt of their jokes. It makes life even more miserable.

“No, I am serious.” He said. He removed a folded-up sheet of paper with twenty signatures on it. it was a letter addressed to the Principal. “We all want a change to happen in this school. A few of my friends had secretly suggested this but were too afraid of bringing it up in class so we discussed it amongst ourselves. Then after your yesterday’ incident we knew it was a chance to stop all this.”

I looked up. “Why now? Why not before?” I asked him. “You told me you were also bullied so…”

He sighed. “I did report my bullying incident to the teacher but she shut me down.”

***

When I reached home, I quickly sent a text to Cassy telling her about what happened.

Her response came after a few minutes. _You should back them. Demand action._

_But Cole’ parents are lawyers. They will easily win this case. _I typed furiously. _Besides, Shawn told me that only twenty students have signed on the letter. They’re nothing in front of Cole’s wealthy parents. The case will be won by them._

_Well, ask Shawn to get more signatures. You should get at least hundred signatures to win this case. If the management doesn’t give a damn to one person, hundred voices will definitely make a big difference._

I searched Shawn’s contact and messaged him.

_Hi, I am Daniella. _I hit send.

His reply came forty-five minutes later. _Hey, Daniella. What’s up?_

_So, I had called you regarding this is regarding today’s anti-bullying signature campaign. You met in the cafeteria. _I sucked at making conversations with him. I was excited about this campaign but nervous at the same time. This made it difficult for me to express myself.

_Yeah, go ahead._

_I just thought that maybe we will need more signatures to make this a success considering Cole’s parents are lawyers. We need maximum of hundred signatures to beat them. Can you get hundred signatures by the end of this week?_

_Hmm, your idea is wonderful. Fine, I’ll see if I can get students to sign. _

_We will do this._


	2. Chapter One: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

Cassy resumed school and I was ever more excited to join her in every class we shared together. Our parents had begged the management to keep us in the same class the whole time when I was going a bad phase in life. I was only four when my dad passed away and Cassy helped me cheer up. Since then, we are inseparable. Cassy was the latest to sign on the anti-bullying campaign. 

“Yo! Feels like I haven’t been here for ages.” She quipped as she took a seat in the class. She took a look around the class noticing the new charts put up on the notice board. “What’s with the charts?” she asked me.

“It’s for the Geography class.” I said.

“Mm-hm.” She nodded, a small smile playing on the lips.

“Guess what? The Anti-bullying campaign has increased to fifty signatures.” She said in glee.

I couldn’t contain my excitement. “What? How?”

“Shawn’s family has also signed along with some parents of other students.”

“Woah, that’s fast.” I remarked.

“Yup. Shawn just told me in the morning. I’ve a feeling we will win.” She rubbed her palms together, grinning at me.

“I hope.” I said, hope blooming in my chest.

Class started and it was hard for me to pay attention when I kept thinking what would happen if I and Cassy weren’t together in the same class. Would I have been a normal kid? Would the nightmares go away? Could I have fought against my bullies? Would I be still a jerk in the eyes of others?

The bell rang and I as shaken from my train of thoughts. Students began shoving books in their bags and the hallway resounded with the chatter of students. I and Cassy walked towards the next class when I felt someone violently push me forward.

“Hey, jerk!” someone said ruffling my hair.

Students began to stare.

“Oooh that’s her.” Another voice said. “The one who knocked Cole unconscious.” It was more like a snarl. I turned around and saw a black-haired boy and his gang looking at me with arms folded over their chests.

“Leave her alone.” It was Cassy.

“Who are you to tell us? She is our problem. If you get in between we will do the same to you.” another boy said. I noticed that Cole was missing.

“You’ve no idea whom you’re talking to.” Cassie snarled.

“Oh, so she’s the friend.” The black-haired boy teased. “Come to fight chicken?”

“You---” I stopped her.

“You look much more of a crow, jack-ass.” I said.

Students began to laugh.

“Much more of a fluffy big crow.” I said, correcting myself.

“You are done.” He said, eyes boring into mine. We were standing a few feet from each other, but I could feel the pride emitting from his stature.

“You don’t need to tell me that jack-ass.” I said. “You need to be in detention.”

Students laughed more. Some jeering at the gang. The black-haired boy’s jaw twitched. Oh man, he was angry.

He stepped forward to get hold of my arm, but the Principal announced on the intercom. “Daniella Krane please report to the Principal’s office urgently.”

The whole crowd began to whisper and as I walked by, students quickly making way for me. The black-haired boy’s eyes pierced through me and I gave him a grin. This meeting would decide who would be expelled from school, and I strongly hoped I was not that student.

Mr. David who was our Principal, sat at his large wooden table with trophies filled on the glass cabinet behind him. At forty-two he was too young to be a Principal. He should’ve been a teacher. He watched us from the steeples of his fingers, his round spectacles staring at us like magnifying glasses. On his right were Cole’s parents who sat rigidly in their seats. Mrs. Smith stared at me like a hawk, her blue eyes piercing daggers at me. Mr. Smith was the exact opposite; his right leg bopped continuously as he stared at the Mr. David’s expression. I stood in front of our Principal, bunking our class. My heart throbbed in my chest, waiting for what could happen.

Finally, about what seemed like hours, Mr. David sat back in his chair, his eyes not leaving mine. “Do you know why you’re here?” he asked us, his voice sharp.

I nodded.

“What you did yesterday was a shameful stunt as a student of this school. Our school has never encountered a situation like this.” 

“Mr. Cole, shouldn’t have engaged in this behaviour,” he said looking at his parents “and Ms. Daniella, you shouldn’t have attacked him in that way.”

“He poured raspberry milkshake on my clothes!” I protested. “What else was I supposed to do?”

“That’s not what I was talking about.” He said, his voice clipped. “You had no right to take down a fellow student. This is a school, not WWE.”

“But sir, I didn’t mock him the way he did,” His parents were silent next to me. They didn’t even utter a word. They must have already spoken to Mr. David about thus. “He called me all sorts of names.”

“No, that’s not what happened. Cole has told me you verbally abused him.” he said.

I raised my eyebrows at him. “You’ve met Cole?” He was in the hospital, as per what Shawn told me.

“That is not the reply I was expecting from you.” came his answer.

“He called my hair a nest. He was the one who started it not me.” I answered. “And why haven’t you questioned the other students?” I asked him. There were five of them.

“Ms. Daniella, verbal abuse is not allowed in this school.” he told me, standing up. His hands were behind his back. “You can be expelled for this behaviour.” he added, sitting down.

I was shocked. “But sir, I never did that!” Was I hearing correctly? “I spoke to him calmly. I only lunged at him after he poured the milkshake on me.”

But Mr. David wasn’t the one who would listen. “I’m sorry Ms. Daniella, you’re fabricating the truth.”

“But---”

He held up his hand. “And here is where I and the management came to agreement. We’re expelling you from school. Permanently.”

I felt the ground plunge beneath me. My worst fear had come true. I was being expelled. Now what would I tell mom? Mr. David handed out a sheet of paper for me and I stared at it, unsure of what to do. My life had changed in a matter of minutes.

Just then, the doors of the office flew open and a group of students entered the office. They all had placards with them with big bold letters ‘MY SCHOOL IS NOT A PLACE FOR BULLYING. COLE HAS TO GO.’ ‘I DIDN’T ENROLL IN SCHOOL TO BE BULLIED.’ ‘BAN BULLYING. BAN COLE.’ 

“What is all this?” Mr. David stood up from his seat.

Shawn came forward. “What you haven’t being doing.”

“Can’t you see I’m having a meeting here? Can’t you knock?” he seethed.

“Unfortunately, we have an urgent issue to discuss with you,” another student said. “So, we decided to crash your meeting.”

“Get out!” he yelled. “This is no way to speak to your Principal.”

“Then you better learn to respect us!” Shawn said. “Do you’ve any idea what is going on in this school? The same school in which you served as a Principal for ten years.” Shawn mocked. 

I stared at Shawn in shock. I never expected a loner like him to be bold. I had underestimated him.

“What are you talking about?”

“The student you just expelled was bullied by the son of rich parents.” He reminded him.

“What happens in my office is none of your concern!” His eyes threw daggers at him.

“No, you’re wrong there, Sir. What happens in this school means nothing to you. In fact, you don’t care about your students’ mental health when they’re bullied. You just want to be a Principal to warm your seat, to earn more money….” He glanced at the Smith’ “like how you did a while ago.”

“What did you say?” he was seething now.

“Yes. You heard right.” A girl spoke up. “We know everything. You and the Smith’s made a deal.”

Mr. and Mrs. Smith stood up, shocked. 

“Nonsense.” He replied.

“What a way of ruining your reputation, Mr. David.” An unknown voice spoke. We all turned our attention towards the door and saw a man younger than Mr. David enter the office. He glanced at the students. “Thank you.” They smiled at him and left quietly.

“Now, who the heck are you?” Mr. David asked, his hands on his hips.

“A lawyer.” The man replied. “I am also the parent of a student who was bullied last month.”

Mr. David glared at the man.

“The class teacher of son my just rubbished the claims of him being bullied leading him to depression and a suicide attempt.” He said. I felt sympathetic for the man. He must be feeling very distraught considering how pathetic our school was when it came to handling bullying. “My son was miraculously saved but there are thousands of children in this country who couldn’t be saved. What you did right now was clear injustice to Ms. Daniella and I am taking you to court.” He looked to his left and three police officers stepped in.

“What is this?” Mr. David began to panic. “You cannot arrest me without evidence! I want to see my lawyer.” He argued.

“The evidence? Oh, you don’t worry about that.” the man assured him. “We have hundred students who have complained against you and the other teacher.”

Mr. David struggled to get out of the handcuffs but the police dragged him out of his office and when he reached the hallway, he began to curse us saying he would have his revenge once his jail term was over.

The lawyer was quick to add. “You do that and you earn more years in prison.” All the students watched in horror how the Principal was taken away. I expected a suspension by the management. This was totally unexpected. As far as what I know, the police is never involved in school politics unless the behaviour is extremely violent.

“That was my dad.” Shawn said behind me with pride.

We all turned to him. Students began to congratulate him and some shook hands. The Smith’s were nowhere to be seen. I guess they escaped before the police would notice them.

After our classes were over, me and Cassy took the bus home. “I have this awesome idea.”

“What?” I asked her. We luckily got a window seat on the bus and Cassy was beaming with delight.

“I am thinking of including Shawn in our group.”

I frowned. I thought Cassy was happy having me as her only friend so why include Shawn? “Why?”

She rolled her eyes at me. “Because he’s cool.”

I looked at her as if she had three heads. “What?”

She shrugged. “Of course. I mean the whole school loves him for what he did today.” She smiled. Apparently, her smiling was getting the better of me. I knew Cassy from the back of my hand. She was up to something and it was regarding Shawn. I had to know what it was.

“I thought you were happy with me being your friend. Am I not enough?” I was getting anxious. If Cassy focusses a lot on Shawn, what would happen to our friendship? It wasn’t that I wanted to control whom her friends are, I was scared that she would break our friendship and befriend someone else. 

“No, it’s not like that!!” she said immediately. “What made you think of that, huh?” she looked at me, concerned. Cassy was my best friend. We were thick as thieves. We had the same likes and dislikes.

“Um, I thought once you friended Shawn, you would forget me.” I replied truthfully. There was no way I would keep my anxieties to myself. I had to voice out what I felt or else I would be suck back into that hole I came from, spiralling downwards into a deep void of nothingness from which I wouldn’t be able to escape.

“Hey,” she said putting her hands on my shoulder. “Don’t you think of that. You will always be my friend no matter what. Remember that.” she said meeting my eyes. “As for Shawn, I like that guy.” She said, dreamily.


	3. Chapter Two: Normaly, At Last

The following week, the management had chosen a new Principal. Her was Mrs. Jones. She was around fifty years old and she was transferred from Michigan. I had heard from other students that she was a psychologist. I saw students meeting her in her office during lunch break and wondered why she would want to meet up with so many students together. Cassy told me because she wanted to make sure that the students had her support regarding mental health issues. She said that they could always talk to her whenever they wanted to. I was touched by her kind gesture, but I doubted whether would she live up to what she had promised? 

Shawn’s class teacher was Mr. Svenson. He was a Maths and Physics teacher. Cassy told me that he was three years older than us and he looked cute. She would often sketch his face in her book and draw little hearts next to the sketch. I thought she liked Shawn….. 

After lunch, we were informed that our midterms would begin next month and the schedule would be displayed shortly. Cassy was the first to groan. I frowned at her. “I had planned on going to Utah next month.” She said.

“Okay. So?”

“I’m worried if the exam commences on those days.” She said anxiously.

“If you’re so concerned about this, you can postpone it to the summer holidays.” I suggested. “In that way, you won’t waste your money.”

But that didn’t seem to calm her nerves. “I want to visit my aunt next month, not in the summer!” she said irritated.

“Hey, relax!” I said. “Wait till the schedule comes up tomorrow. Then make a decision.”

She pondered over it. “Fine.” She said pursing her lips. “I hope that works.”

The next morning, Cassy was bombarding my phone with messages. I rubbed my sleepy eyes as I woke up. I grabbed my phone from the nightstand. There were thirty messages from Cassy. I sat up in bed and unlocked my phone to read the messages.

_ Noooo! Why am I so unlucky? _

_ Exam starts when I leave for Utah _

_ Oh Lord, I hate myself _

Cassy was an emoji queen. All of her chats were full of crying emojis and angry red emojis. I closed my eyes in irritation. I felt bad for her but I didn’t want to be disturbed to hear this.

_ Now, my mom is going to keep muttering to herself about how she struggled to schedule a flight on that day. _

_ I hate this school so much _

_ I wish I was enrolled in another school _

I put my phone done and brushed my teeth. My phone kept pinging from the Cassy’s messages and I ignored them as I got ready for school. My eyes begged for sleep and I almost stumbled when getting down the bannister. I internally cursed Cassy for me endure all this shit. My sleep was everything to me.

_ Fuck my life!! _

_ Idk how I am going to study _

_ How am I supposed to concentrate on Shawn.  _ I almost spit out my cereal. My mom noticed me opposite me.

“No phone on the table Daniella.” She reminded me.

“Sorry.” I said and kept my phone on my lap. A few spoons later, my phone pinged again and my mom looked at me with a glare.

“Who is that messaging you at this time of the day?” she stared at me.

My phone pinged again.

I felt like throwing my phone is the fireplace.

I thought of an excuse. “Uh, someone from the group.” I said.

She looked at me suspiciously. “So many messages!”

“They’ve no work I suppose…” I said. “You know the typical ‘good morning’ messages.” I reminded her. “Typical classmates.” I muttered poking at the contents of my cold cereal.

“You better put that phone on silent.” She ordered me.

I nodded immediately. I did as she told me and finished my cereal. 

***

At school, Daniella’s mood was off.

“Are you okay?” I asked concerned. I hoped she didn’t turn out like me former self. If she went into depression, I didn’t know what would become of her.

She stared at the wall in front of her. Students were filling the class and we were seated somewhere in the middle. Finally, she sighed and looked at me, “I hate this!”

“You know, I want you to go to Utah but as a friend, I want you give your exams first and go to Utah the same day.” It was the only logical advice I had for my friend. In this way, she would save money and she would even get to meet her aunt.

“Hm.” Her reply wasn’t filled with enthusiasm.

“Daniella.” I heard someone whisper my name.

I turned behind but all I saw were students glued to their phones. With a frown I shrugged and turned my attention to Cassy but I heard my name being called again. 

“Towards the door.” The voice said. 

I looked towards the door and I saw Shawn waving me.

I waved in surprise. He pointed his thumb to Cassy and I looked at her. “What about her?” I asked him aloud. That caught Cassy’s attention and she glanced at me. I looked at Shawn with a questionable look. Cassy’s gaze fell on Shawn. Something unspoken was communicated between them and I looked at Cassy. Before I could ask her about that, she immediately got up from her seat and walked towards Shawn. I watched them talk about something before she plastered a kiss on his cheek.

My mouth fell open. She waved him goodbye and with a grin she came to sit next to me. “What was that?” I asked referring to the kiss. So, Mr. Svenson was not her crush anymore? 

“We’re officially together.” She said with a blush.

“Wow!” I said with a smile. “I’m so happy for you.” Shawn seemed like her type. She was perfect for him.

I wanted to ask what they were discussing but I kept it to myself. Maybe it was some couple related thing.

Our chemistry teacher entered the class fifteen minutes late. He apologised for the delay and quickly began to write on the whiteboard. The class was full of students shuffling through book pages and I opened my binder to write down today’s topic. Sometime before the class ended, the teacher informed us about the class assignment. Naturally, all the students began to groan, including me. I found assignments really fun. They were quite interesting comparing to written exams because we had to write it on the basis of facts and not on the basis of memory.

Our teacher informed us that the assignment had to be submitted before the exams begin. Cassy began to mumble of how she was going to fail because of some stupid assignment. I felt bad for her. She scowled at the teacher, her arms folded on her chest. “I swear to God, I will burn this place to the ground.” 

A few weeks later, exams were upon us. Cassy began to worry so much that she would have nausea and vomiting. Her mother didn’t allow her to step foot out of the house. I was prepared well in advance. I just revised and then binged watched Pretty Little Liars. Then I went to sleep, with a smile on my face. It was around one am, that my phone pinged with a message. When I unlocked my phone, I saw it was message from Cassy. I sighed in disbelief. This girl needs to get a life. I kept my phone on silent mode and locked it.

The exams were over and I was happy that I was going to ace. I couldn’t contain my excitement for the result that would be announced soon. Cassy joined me outside my home. “Why didn’t you reply last night?” she asked me sourly.

If there was anyone who I loved and hated equally, it was Cassy. That girl had no regard for anyone’s sleep. I really felt like snapping at her but I was trying everything in my will not to do that. Cassy was pampered to such an extent that she couldn’t take no for an answer, sometimes. “I was asleep.” I said.

She stared at me. “Liar.” she stopped walking. Her long-manicured nails poked my skin as she turned me towards her. “I saw your last seen at one am.” She said.

I internally face-palmed myself. What a terrible liar I was. I should’ve thought about this. Now I’ll have to deal with this myself. “I left my phone screen on and I fell asleep.” This should cover up my lie. I internally prayed. Cassy’ wrath was worst than a banshee’s curse. And I would be damned if she poured out her anger on me.

She looked at me suspiciously. “Is that true?”

Oh Lord!! “Of course. You’ve to believe me.” I told her. 

“Then why not reply in the morning?” she asked again. Cassy was getting hyper-active. She couldn’t stay still. Her head was filling with tons of questions that would send anyone in a tizzy. I would often wonder how her parents handle her?

“I was getting ready for school.” I replied, increasing my walking speed. I noticed that I had spent fifteen minutes standing at one place and if I didn’t hurry, I would be late. Panic rose within me. sweat formed on my brow.

“You were so busy that you had no time for _me_?”

That set off the bomb in me. “For fucks sake Cassy! Let me live my life in peace.” I almost shrieked. People started looking our way. “Can you please stop irritating me with all these questions?” I showed her the time on my phone. “It’s getting late. Can I answer your _important _questions later?” I glared at her and stormed away.

***

When Cassy didn’t return for third period, I was getting nervous. Where was she? Did my argument with her set her off? I hope she didn’t do anything stupid. I called up Shawn. “Hello, Shawn, hi, it’s Daniella.” I said. I signalled Elena to keep an eye if the teacher entered the class and she gave me a thumbs up with a wink. “Is Cassy with you?” I asked him, praying my voice doesn’t quiver.

“Uh, Cassy? Why?”

“She hasn’t come to school and it’s third period.” I said.

“I thought you both come to school together.” He said.

“We do. Absolutely correct. But today we had a mini argument and now she hasn’t turned up for class,” I told him. “I’m so scared, can you call her up and check on her?”

There was some hesitation from Shawn. “Uh, class is going on right now,” he said in a hushed voice. “I will do after class, is that okay?”

“Yeah.” I said relieved. “Please don’t forget.” Elena signalled me that the teacher had entered the class and I ended the class.

“Thanks for all that.” I said.

She just smirked at me.

Shawn and I began to look for Cassy. We were running around the school, while I bunked my Geography class searching for my friend. “She’s not answering her phone and not even texts!” Shawn shrugged.

We were about to check for her in the library when my phone began to ring. I checked the caller ID. It was Cassy. “Yo! Why were you calling me?” I expected her to snap at me for calling her, but it seemed that she had forgotten about that.

“Where are you?” I sighed. “You didn’t come to class and I was worried for you!” I was panicking.

“Oh, I am with Mr. Kavanaugh.” She replied coolly.

“And you didn’t care to tell me?” I was furious. Shawn raised his eyebrows, wanting to know what Cassy told me. I signalled him to wait. 

She sighed. “I was busy. Like very busy. I was helping Mr. Kavanaugh make charts for the picnic.”

My angry had not yet left. My jaw ticked as I heard her tell me her reason for being missing. “Dude at least make the habit of texting me.” I said, my voice rising. “What happened to your ‘what is my secret is your secret’ promise?”

She huffed. “Look, I know I’m a crap of a friend, but I pinkie swear that I will tell you _everything _after I finish my work here.” The line begin to sound scratchy and I struggled to hear. “Okay, I’ve a lot of work to do. Talk to you later, okay?”

I sighed. I began to feel calmer. “Fine.” I replied.

“And please don’t be mad at me.” she said and quickly ended the call. I stared at the screen.

“Well, what was that?” Shawn asked me. “Where was she?”

“She was with Mr. Kavanaugh.” I said defeated. If she had texted me about this, I wouldn’t have to miss my class. She was such a jerk, but it was pointless standing here and pouring out my angry thoughts to Shawn. Standing here wasn’t going to help me in compensating for the loss of one geography class. It was better that I didn’t be late for the next class. One loss is better than many, I thought.

“Mr. Kavanaugh?” Shawn asked me confused. “What was she doing with the gym teacher?” he was right. Cassy wasn’t a fitness freak. I knew her inside out. She didn’t have a gym membership. So, what made her meet him? 

“I have no idea about that? She didn’t tell me that.” I said, feeling like an idiot for running around the school worried that something would’ve happened for her. It wasn’t that she was a kid. It was natural for me to get worried for her after we fought. I remember very clearly when I hadn’t shared my ice-cream with her. We were two at that time. I and Cassy’s mom had gone to the ice-cream parlour just a kilometre away from our home. It all happened so fast. I just ignored Cassy when she asked me for a bite and a few minutes later, she was gone. Mrs. Bosworth hadn’t even noticed that her daughter was missing. It was after we left from the parlour that I had noticed that Cassy was missing. 

There was endless searching first in the ice-cream parlour. We began to look for her in the washroom stalls and even inquired among the staff if a two-year-old girl had got inside the kitchen. Then we searched the neighbourhood calling out her name, praying that she wasn’t kidnapped. Mrs. Bosworth had called up her husband and he immediately reported it to the police. The police were quick to arrive at the spot and questioned us about what had happened before her disappearance. The parlour had no CCTV camera so the police were individually questioning everyone in the parlour. Cassy was found the same day two kilometre away at an ice-cream shop hogging an ice-cream tub. 

That was when I felt guilty. If I had shared my ice-cream, this wouldn’t have happened. Mr. and Mrs. Bosworth wouldn’t have to endure so much trouble. But I couldn’t tell them that. I would be blamed for all that. Mrs. Bosworth wouldn’t allow her daughter to be my friend.

“Urgghh, she’s such a crappy friend.” Shawn muttered. I had almost forgotten that he was walking with me to class. “How can you stand her?” he asked me. I had no reply for that. I couldn’t tell him about that incident. 


	4. Chapter Three: Excitement Begins!!

As the days went by, Cassy kept bunking class to help Mr. Kavanaugh for a mysterious reason. I thought it was best to confide in Mrs. Bosworth to keep an eye on her but then that would sever my friendship with Cassy. I had to do something which didn’t involve Mrs. Bosworth and Shawn. I had to make a plan.

The exam results were out and as it turns out, I had passed with flying colours. I was literally over the moon when I received the marksheet. “Good job, Daniella.” Mr. Svenson remarked while handing me my marksheet. 

I smiled. “Thank you, Sir.” I suddenly remembered. “Sir, is it okay if you can give me Cassandra Bosworth’s marksheet?”

He shook his head. “Unfortunately, we are not allowed to do that.” He looked around for her. “Where is she?”

“Sir, she isn’t in class…” I replied.

“Why?”

“She’s meeting Mr. Kavanaugh.” I shrugged.

“Regarding?”

“I’ve no idea.” I replied. “She hasn’t told me anything.”

He frowned. He asked the teacher something regarding Mr. Kavanaugh. The chattering in the class was so loud that I couldn’t hear what the teachers in front of me were talking. Her eyes lit up over the memory and she told him something in return. “Next.” Mr. Svenson said. That was a wasted chance in learning about Cassy’s secret mission.

It was on a hot Saturday afternoon that I got a message from Cassy. Me and my mom were in the local market when my phone pinged in my hand. _Guess what…. I’ve this awesome news for you!!!_ her message read on my phone lock screen.

I rolled my eyes.

“Dani can you get me some sugar from the groceries aisle?” mom asked me.

I nodded and walked towards the sugar aisle. I found a packet of sugar and put it in the basket. Just as I was exiting the aisle, my phone pinged again. I pulled out my phone from jeans pocket and saw another message from Cassy. I decided not to check what it was.

Once we paid and did the checkout, we ordered a taxi and got home. Mom didn’t like to travel by car because she was a hard-core climate activist. I supported her cause. I had no choice. I studied for an hour and helped her in the cooking. One hour before lunch, I decided to check my phone for Cassy’s messages.

_ I know you were getting suspicious about why I was with Mr. Kavanaugh. *insert winking eye emoji* _

I narrowed my eyes at her message.

_ So apparently, when I and you had a fallout that day, I met a girl from the school’s Nature Club and she asked me if I would be a part of it. So, I said yes.  _

_ Good for you.  _ I typed.

A few minutes later, Cassy sent me a picture. I downloaded it. it was about a trip to Nevada. It was scheduled at the end of the month. Cassy told me that if I wanted to come, I should quickly fill out the form as seats were filling quickly. I couldn’t go for the picnic. For twelve years I’ve avoided the topic of picnics because of that fateful day.

***

On Monday, Cassy asked me whether I was going for the picnic. I told her no. “If you want to go, you can go.” I told her. “It’s a perfect time for you and Shawn to kindle your romance.” I added. Just because I wasn’t going didn’t mean that Cassy should sacrifice her fun-filled outing for me.

She gripped my hand. “Hey, if you’re not going I’m not going.” I was about to protest but she stopped me. “If my friend feels scared because of something, then I would definitely support her.” My heart swelled with joy. I gave her a small smile. She pulled me into an embrace and she patted my back.

When I pulled back, I asked her. “And what about Shawn? Is he going?”

“He hasn’t asked his dad yet.” She told me.

I nodded.

The enthusiasm for the upcoming picnic was filled with so much gusto that the Nature Club secretary went from class to class asking if anyone wanted to enrol. Many students would go out of the class and register themselves for the picnic. Elena tapped me on the shoulder. “You going?”

I glanced at Cassy. She gave me a tight smile. “Not asked my mom, yet.” I replied.

She nodded. “You should do that immediately. I heard they won’t allow more students two days before the picnic.” I gulped.

I smiled forcefully. “Yeah, I know about that.” When Elena was out of hearing range, I whispered to Cassy. “You should go. Join Elena’ gang.” I said.

She shook her head no. “I don’t want to feel like a jerk for not taking you along.” She replied. 

“You won’t be seen like that…. I don’t think of you like that.” I said. Did she seriously think that I would think of her so lowly. “I want you to enjoy the picnic. Nevada will be an awesome picnic destination. Kudos to Mr. Kavanaugh.” I said, proud of our teacher.

Cassy sighed. “Actually,” she began, rubbing the back of her neck. “It was my idea.”

I was shocked yet proud of her. “That was all _your _idea?” I asked. “And you’re not going?”

“No.” was all that she replied.

“You should---”

She held up her palm. “End of discussion.”

When I put my books in my bag outside my locker, my eyes caught a poster of all those who had paid for the picnic. There were around twenty names on the poster. One name caught my eye.

Gareth.

Instantly, I remember the popular baseball player who I have a crush on. Gareth was perfect in way I could imagine. He had those dazzling green eyes which you could get lost forever. Gareth was tall and muscular in such a way that it sent my insides melt. He had this cute habit of flicking his hair back when he would walk. His hair looked soft……..

“What are you staring at?”

I jumped. Cassy stood next to me wondering what I was staring at. My fingers fiddled with the straps of my backpack. “Uh, nothing.”

She raised her eyebrows, not buying what I was saying. “You’re not telling me something.” Her eyes fell of the poster behind. She reached out for it. “Oooh, what’s this?” she examined the poster in her hands, reading every word. As she read, her eyebrows began to furrow in confusion. “There’s Gareth’s name here.” She mused, looking up at me.

I rolled my eyes, trying my best to hide my blush. 

“No, no that was _something_.” she said bringing the poster in front of my face. “Gareth is----”

“He’s nothing. Just a baseball player.” I completed the sentence.

“Liar.” she replied with a huge grin. “I know how you used to cheer him during last year’s match singing his name above the roaring crowd.” She nudged me.

“No, not anymore.” I said, trying to fight my smile.

She stared at my face. “Is that a smile?” she whispered. Her eyes widened in delight. “You have a crush on Gareth McQueen?” her voice rose.

I shushed her. “Others will hear!” I said, putting my hand over her mouth. She rolled her eyes at me.

“Huh.” 

More students enrolled for the picnic and I felt uneasiness creep my gut. Every single student was enrolling and I was feeling left out. I and Cassy would be seen as ‘not cool’ and I didn’t want them to think of us that way. My fingers were knotted in my lap as I watched them in slow motion cheerfully waving the money in their hands, calling the attention of the Assistant Nature Club Secretary. If I didn’t go, I wouldn’t get to see Gareth. This was my chance of asking him out. I loved Gareth a lot and if he said yes, it would a lot. 

My thoughts didn’t leave me when I reached home. I lay in bed, playing with a tennis ball. I threw the ball on the wall, letting it bounce back to me. I weighed my options. The picnic would help me overcome my fears. I needed to get out. Plus, there would be so many students. And I wouldn’t feel guilty because Cassy would also join me. I went downstairs and made some food. Mom would return late and I would be alone at home. I wished that dad was here with me. He would be able to listen to me; give me advice on how to date a boy. 

I shook my head at that thought. Dad is not coming back. He was gone, _forever._ I wiped my tears with the back of my palm. I made a vegan dinner for mom and myself, since veganism was thrust upon me by mom. I honestly found it great since I was lactose intolerant. I played some classical music on my phone and cooked my food side-by-side. Within two hours, food was done and I ate alone on our dining table. I focused on the quietness of our home. Twelve years ago, it was full of life. But not today. Dad would always crack his silly jokes or be seated in the living room, watching football. Since my dad’s death, we hardly watched television. One day, mom disconnected the cable and with that the memories of dad’s favourite went with the trash.

I stared at the space which had the television. Now there was a fresh bouquet of flowers in it’s place. Flowers of mourning. They were the same flowers, replaced every time they dried. Mom would throw them in the bio-waste bin which would go for recycling. I finished my food and washed my plate. 

Sleep was difficult to find.

Right on cue, my phone pinged. I reached out on the bedside table and saw Cassy’ message on the lock screen. I unlocked my phone and read her message silently. _Are you okay?”_

I rubbed my eyes and looked at the ceiling. Am I okay?

No matter how many times I’ve asked myself this question, I will never get the reply. Guess I’m stuck being not okay.

_ Not getting sleep.  _ I texted.

Her reply came a while later. She misunderstood it for something else. _Gareth keeping you awake._

_ No, not him. It’s dad.  _

_ Omg sorry. _

_ Not an issue.  _ I added a heart emoji.

_ What’s your excuse? _

_ I’m excited for the picnic!!! _

I closed my eyes. _Fine. I will go._

_ WHAT? _

_ You heard me. _

_ No shit dude. Was it because I said that? _

_ Nope.  _ Yes, it was. But I couldn’t tell her that. I wanted her to be happy.

_ I don’t believe you _

_ You’ve to. _

_ I’m not… urgh I don’t know what to say _

_ You want to come.  _ I typed with a smirk. Cassy was so damn readable. She wanted to go for the picnic but didn’t because of me.

_ Nah, I’m not forcing you into this.  _ She typed. _I don’t want you to have a panic attack._

_ I won’t. You will be there for me.  _ *wink emoji*

_ But— _

_ I’m packing tomorrow. Good Night!!  _ I couldn’t stop smiling. I pulled the sheets closer to my body and closed my eyes letting sleep consume me.


	5. Chapter Four: Crush-a-tac

The next day, I enrolled for the picnic. But to my dismay seats were full. “Sorry we can’t have you on board.” The secretary said sympathetically. “All seats are full.”

Cassy gripped my hand. “It’s okay we’ll try next time.” she said. I nodded, giving her a forced smile. I cursed myself internally. Hadn’t I waited for the last moment this wouldn’t have happened. Now Cassy will think of me poorly. I fought back tears. I can’t cry here. 

Class went on as usual. I tried to pay attention but all I could think was my dad’s funeral. Mom didn’t let me go near the cemetery. I watched with Cassy’s borrowed binoculars from out as they laid his body in the ground. “Why do they put people in a casket?” I asked her.

She shrugged. “No idea. But I think it’s a cosy bed for your dad. That pillow is soft.” She said innocently. “I would love to have a bed like that but it costs millions.” We were financially better as compared to Cassy’s family. We were about to shift into a new plush home but the disaster affected our savings in the drain. Mom never brought up that topic again and I never asked her about it.

“Cassy,” I asked my friend. The wind whipped my blonde hair from the back causing me to hold my hair in my fist. “Where do dead people go,” I asked tilting my head to the side as I scratched my head for the correct words. “After they die?”

Cassy was inspecting a rock in her hand. Her black shoes were a muddy brown. “Hey, look!” she said, showing me the rock. I sighed. She hadn’t heard my question. When she saw my expression, she gave me a confused expression.

“I asked you something.” I said, putting my sweaty hands on my hips.

She shrugged. “What?”

I repeated it to her again. “Oh, that,” she said, tapping her finger to the chin and looking towards the sky. “To the sky, I think?”

I tapped her lightly on the forehead. “But my father has just died, it will take time to travel to the sky.” I said.

“Then the next day.” She said shrugging.

“C’mon girls,” someone said behind us and we looked back. It was Cassy’s mother. She wiped her eyes and smiled at us. “It’s time to go home.”

“Home?” Cassy asked. “But we didn’t even get to see Dani’s pop?” she said with a frown. “All you gave me were these dinoculars.” She huffed. “I thought I would get to say some last words to her daddy before he reaches the sky. A lot of people die these days.”

To Vineeta: Note that Cassy called binoculars as dinoculars. Not a typo. It was intentional as kids tend to mispronounce words.

Cassy’s mom held mine and her hand and we slowly walked to her black Chevrolet. She opened the door for us and we both hopped in. Cassy’s mother got in the driver’s seat and started the engine. I heard the click of the seatbelt. “Girls don’t forget to wear your seatbelts.” We both met her eyes in the rear mirror and wore our seatbelts.

I rolled down my side of the window and looked out. We passed by beautiful fields and farms. I turned my attention to Cassy. “How long does it take to reach heaven?”

Cassy pursed her lips. “Twenty-four hours I think. I heard that the soul will be met with God before it reaches the sky-balcony.”

“What is a sky-balcony?”

“Cassy.” Her mother warned. I watched how her eyes sent a warning glare from the rear mirror.

“It is circular in shape and has gold railings. It helps dead people look down on the living.” She replied, nonetheless.

We played in Cassy’s room till my mom came to pick me up. I stared at the sky looking for the balcony with gold railings. Nothing was there. Around one hour later, mom took me home and we changed back into regular clothes. “Mom, why didn’t you allow me to see dad?”

Mom paused while cooking. I watched her stare at the cooktop for a minute wondering what happened to her. When she opened her mouth, I felt her voice was hoarse. “Because children aren’t supposed to see the dead being buried.”

“But I and Cassy already saw dad being buried.” I replied.

Her eyes shot up. “How?”

“With her dinobullars.” I replied.

“Wh---” and then she nodded her head, continuing to stir whatever she was cooking.

The entire day was spent quietly. Mom spent a lot of time in her room while I aimlessly watched cartoons. But my mind paid no attention to what was going on the television. I was curious as to how the balcony would look. Would I see other dead people there, waving at their family? How do they look from the sky? Would I see my dad in his tuxedo? Or would I see him with his eyes closed like I saw when they buried him?

Something was snapping in front of me. I couldn’t decipher what or who did it. I tried to clear the fog that surrounded the snapping sound. Then I came to my senses and saw myself staring at a white wall. I frowned. Cassy’s wall was blue. How did it turn white all of a sudden? Then I saw a girl with purple hair chewing gum in front of me, bending to look in my eyes. she was blurred like an opaque glass. My eyes didn’t adjust to what was happening in front me. I just accepted what I was looking, letting my mind show me what it wanted me to show.

Then someone else joined her and together they stared at me. “How is she coping?” No, it wasn’t that…. it was something else. “What happened to her?”

“I’ve no idea. She was okay this morning.” Came a female’s reply. 

“Her mouth…..” came a male voice. He stooped to my eye level. He looked back at the female and they shared a look. “Her mouth is drooling.”

“Dani?” someone shook me.

My mind went white and when the fog cleared I saw myself facing the night sky. The sky was lit was the amazing decoration of stars twinkling down. Just then a white line began to connect between the stars until they formed a semi-circle. Then the line turned yellow and it formed a huge wide circle which was as big as a football team. The stars in the circle disappeared and I saw a face appear. It was my dad. He smiled down at me. I smiled back.

A question formed in my head. “Dad how did you die?”

His face was solemn. No blemishes or bruises of any kind. His eyes were the same colour I had known when he used to play with me. “Camping accident. I fell down a mountain.” He replied.

“It must’ve been bad.” I said. “Not being able to say goodbye to mom and me.” I didn’t feel anything. I would’ve cried when my dad said that but I was numb. My hands were behind my head, preventing the grass to dirty my hair. 

“Indeed.” He replied. “I loved you both.”

I nodded. “You miss me?” I asked, watching his reaction.

“A lot.” He replied. “It’s kind of lonely here.” He added, pointing to something behind him.

“Not made friends, yet?” 

“Most of them are criminals here. They jeer at me say cuss words.” he shrugged.

Criminals? That was odd. “Aren’t they supposed to be in hell, the criminals?”

“Assessment hasn’t started yet. _Calling doctor Dean Lewicki to the nurse station now_.” 

“Wow that must be a sight.” I said, amused.

He shook his head. “I don’t go for all that.” he replied. “Can’t see them being thrown to the pits of hell.”

My eyes widened. “Woohoo.”

Slowly, I saw his appearance begin to change. The once solemn expression morphed into a monsterous version of my father. His eyes turned yellow and his face turned red. Horned rose out of his forehead and his teeth became pointed.

I screamed.

I saw Cassy and Shawn standing in front of me, horrified. I flinched. What happened to me? Why was everyone staring at me? My hands began to tremble and my forehead began feeling sweaty. The room became small on its own accord with students being pushed towards me, the walls getting pushed towards my direction. I began to panic. My pulse became erratic. The room became too claustrophobic and without warning, I got up and ran. I didn’t see who was in my way. I pushed through the throng of students, literally dashing anyone and everyone who came in my way. 

Air.

I needed air.

I came out of the building and sat on the cement pavement. I rubbed my hand over my face and calmed myself. Footsteps resounded behind me. Cassy towered over me. “Dude, are you okay?” her face was etched in worry. 

Shawn stood next to her, assessing what was going on with me. “Man, does this happen often?” he whispered to her. “She looks like shit.” He was confused.

Cassy sighed. “She needs help.” She said and proceeded to lift me up herself.

I stopped her. “I’m okay.”

She looked at me like I had three heads. “Didn’t you see what happened to you?” her voice rose a little. Shawn nudged her, motioning to the students watching us. Her voice softened. “You were withdrawn, lost in some dimension….” She said, worried. “I thought you became schizophrenic or something.” She said, hesitantly.

I stood up and dusted the back of my pants. “C’mon, we’ve got class to attend.” Cassy and Shawn looked at each other dumbstruck.

“Man, that girl is….”

“Weird, I know.” Cassy completed. “She’s been like this since her father died twelve years ago.”

***

I rubbed my eyes at the sight of the bus. It was painted a pale shade of white with black tinted window panes with air-conditioning. We waited on the school grounds for other students to arrive. Mr. Kavanaugh had said that the reporting time was seven am. There were roughly sixty students on grounds who were hooked on their phones. There were some parents who were talking to their children. 

I and Shawn anxiously waited for Cassy who hasn’t turned up. I bit my nails looking at the school gate. Shawn stood beside me, folding his arms over his chest, annoyed. “That girl has no regard for punctuality.” He huffed.

I shook my head. “She’s going to make everyone late.”

Some feet away, I caught Elena’s gaze. She waved at me excitedly. Elena was one of the few students who didn’t give a damn about what the bullies said to her. She was fat and chubby. Her gang was full of South-Eastern students and they were full of life. I secretly wished to be a part of her group, but she was too outgoing spending her money on clothes at the mall. If my father was alive, he would’ve given me the money to hang out with Elena at the mall. “Hi!” she said, giving me a squishing hug. Her metal chains caught in my own, causing them to entangle when she pulled away from the hug.

“Nice to see you.” I said, gripping her hands.

“Yeah, man. I’m surprised to see you.” she beamed. “Guess you got a seat.” She said.

“I did. I did.” I replied. At the last moment. Two students opted out of the picnic because they fell sick. So, I and Cassy got our seats. “Where’s your gang?” I asked her, looking behind her.

“They’re still sleeping.” She said with disgust. “I’m gonna call them up and tell them to fucking hurry or else Mr. Kavanaugh would leave without them.” she said with a smirk.

I laughed. Same case with me. 

“Nevada Hills is a damn good place.” She said. “I’m really excited to go there. That was a really good choice by the Nature Club team.”

I smiled. I had no idea where Nevada was. I didn’t travel much so I was looking forward towards this experience. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gareth high fiving his friends. Immediately, my mouth went dry. I stared at how he smiled at them and enveloped a guy in a bear hug. My insides melted.

Elena’s phone vibrated. She looked at her phone. “Uh, I guess I’ve to go.” She said. “Have fun!!”

“You too!” I replied.

With a deep breath, I made my way to Gareth and his team. My stomach did flips and i couldn’t stop myself from smiling. His back was facing me when I cleared my throat.

He didn’t seem to notice me.

I cleared my throat again and this time he turned around to face me. “Hi.” I squeaked.

He placed his hands on his hips. “Who are you?”

“Uh, I… I am Daniella.” I said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

“So?” he asked.

“It’s nice to see you, Gareth.” I said, smiling.

“Okay.” He shrugged and turned around to talk to his friends. I opened my mouth to say something but he was busy talking to his friends. Dejectedly, I made my way to Shawn who was watching our exchange with a frown.

“Gareth, huh?” he asked, his arms folded across his chest.

I nodded, not meeting his gaze.

His eyes were staring at him. “His not meant for you.”

I looked at him, taken aback. “What?”

He shook his head, still staring at him. “I don’t like that guy.” He shrugged.

“Why?”

“I’m a guy too. I get a bad vibe from him.” he said.

“But I don’t see anything wrong in him.” I said looking at him. Gareth was busy nodding his head to what Mr. Kavanaugh was saying.

Shawn sighed deeply. “That is where you are wrong. You’re naïve. You deserve better.”


	6. Chapter Five: Boom! Snap! Clap!

After Mr. Kavanaugh took the attendance, the bus driver started the engine. I, Cassy and Shawn got seats in the middle of the bus. Shawn had got a window seat but she requested Shawn (which was not a request, kind of an argument) to sit near the window.

Shawn gave fake sweet smile that I had got accustomed too, as I spent a lot of time with him. Shawn was thrilled to get a window seat (like the kid he was) and when Cassy gave him a disapproving look, he knew he wasn’t going to win a war that was brewing up in Cassy’ mind. Experience is the best teacher. She pulled his cheek after he got up from his seat. Shawn scowled at her. I laughed silently. Thank God, I don’t have a boyfriend. 

The tour guide entered the bus. He hugged Mr. Kavanaugh like they were some old friends. They spoke with each other as the students chattered. The tour guide smiled as they spoke, his eyes lighting up in response. I plugged my ear phones in my phone and played some music. Shawn who was beside me smiled at my newly bought phone. “It was a gift.” I lied. It was a second hand which I had bought two days before the picnic. My old phone had broken down. The moment I reached home after buying the phone, I scrubbed the dirty edges with soap disinfectant and spray. 

Shawn showed me his. It was a shiny new iPhone. Jealousy found its way in me, but I smothered it by forcing a smile. I was surrounded my rich people who made me feel super inferior. Mr. Kavanaugh clapped to get our attention. “Okay students,” he said. He glanced at the tour guide who smiled at us. He had worn a jute hat and black aviators that made him look like Brad Pitt.

“Woah, who’s that dude?” Cassy asked, staring at him eating her caramel popcorn.

I eyed the popcorn. “You were supposed to save that when we reached the picnic spot.” I said.

She shrugged. “I was feeling hungry. No choice.” Her attention was on the tour guide.

“I hate you.” I said, shaking my head.

That caught Shawn’s attention. “Here we go again.” He replied. When he saw her eating the popcorn. “What happened to your ‘whatever is mine is yours too’ motto?”

She made a face. “So, what you want be sit in this weird smelling bus on a hungry stomach?”

“Dude, it’s seven forty-five am!”

She ignored him.

He whispered to me. “Damn, I don’t get it how I became her boyfriend.” 

I shrugged at him. “Same here.”

“This is Mitch, our tour guide.” Mr. Kavanaugh said. Some students cheered. “Mitchy boy!” one boy cheered. Others snickered. “Gareth can you please shut up and let me complete? You can do all that later.” Mr. Kavanaugh clipped. His eyes glared at Gareth.

“Such a jerk.” A girl muttered from the front seats. 

“So, as I was saying,” Mr. Kavanaugh continued after taking a deep breath. “Mitch will be with us in Nevada. I expect all of you to behave yourself on this picnic.” He said, referring to Gareth. “Let’s give him a round of an applause students!” Everyone started clapping. Some students hooted. “Welcome on board.” He told Mitch. They both shook hands and Mitch sat on the seat behind the driver’s cabin. Mr. Kavanaugh tapped on the driver’s door motioning him to drive. The bus began to move and everyone began to cheer. I cheered along with others. Shawn and Cassy clapped.

The bus turned around the school’s parking veranda. Parents bade their children goodbye. I stood up from my seat and saw two busses following us from the dark tainted glass at the back. I sat back in my seat as the bus took a turn out of the school gate. “How many students registered for the picnic?” I asked Cassy.

“Around sixty, I think.” She said, typing on her phone. She lifted the phone pointing the front camera towards me and Shawn. “Say cheese suckers!” she said as she applied the boomerang effect from Instagram. We posed perfectly with me showing my tongue and signing ‘Yo’. Cassy posted it on her Story, a satisfied grin plastered on her face. The bus was now on the main road, early morning sunlight gradually seeping through the clouds. The sky was a shade of blue, a perfect setting for a picnic. The wind nipped my hair as I inhaled the familiar scent of this city. A new song played on my phone and I closed my eyes letting the music entrance me.

When the bus was stuck in the traffic, the students began singing songs of Post Malone. One student had change the lyrics according to his liking, for revenge sake. “I’ll be fucking Mitch and Kavanaugh when I’ll be a rockstar. Nobody cares what I do then because I don’t shit from Mr. Kavanaugh.” Me and Shawn shared a look and we burst out laughing. We knew who that was, so did everyone. “I would love to do this coz I don’t give a damn. And my daddy’s a real state agent. A man with a plan. I-I… Mitchy boy is gone for good and so is his dad…..” I tuned out the awful lyrics by increasing the music volume.

“He’s so done.” Cassy said.

“Yeah.” I agreed, sitting down from my seat. I had watched how Gareth sung his own version of Rockstar with absolutely no care about the consequences. His friends were cheering him, clapping their hands. One of them took a video, laughing at him.

***

Around noon we stopped at McDonalds’ for food. Mr. Kavanaugh had given us twenty minutes to eat while the driver took the bus to a nearby fuel station. I ordered chicken cheeseburgers for Cassy and Shawn while I ordered a vegan burger. The entire store was filled with students who occupied every single seat much to the dismay of customers who had to eat in their vehicles. Some of them were forced to order take-aways. The entire staff were on their toes catering to restless students who stood in long lines waiting to place their orders. “Man, I love their fries.” Cassy moaned while eating.

Shawn, who sat beside me agreed with her. He sucked the ketchup off his thumbs and I grimaced. Gareth and his gang were making a fuss about how they had to stand in line for a simple order. Things escalated so quickly that the store manager had to calm the situation. We watched in dismay how he pointed a finger at his chest, acting as the typical jerk. A blonde girl, who I had not noticed earlier pulled him back, telling him something.

After we ate, Shawn and Cassy went to the toilet. They handed me their bags while I waited for them outside the door. After we were done, we got on the bus where we heard Gareth arguing with his friends. “Who the hell does he think he is?” he said to one of his friends. “Doesn’t he know who I am?” Power and wealth were at display over here. I realised how Shawn was right. He knew Gareth more than me. I couldn’t thank him more. They kept arguing when Mr. Kavanaugh entered the bus. When he saw Gareth arguing with his friends, he asked them what had happened. The blonde girl narrated the entire incident to them and that was when all hell broke loose. 

The picnic wasn’t joyous anymore and my secret love for Gareth morphed in pure hatred. He spoiled our fun. Right now, we were supposed to be enjoying and singing songs on this bus but his ego caused mayhem. Mr. Kavanaugh ordered him to apologise to the store manager. Gareth being Gareth didn’t comply and so, he ordered Gareth to get off the bus. That caused a muscle in his jaw to tick and Gareth went to _punch _Mr. Kavanaugh. 

But thank God for Mitch, he pulled Mr. Kavanaugh in time to avoid him from receiving a slack jaw. Gareth took two steps to reach Mr. Kavanaugh but his friends stopped him. “Not here, dude.” A guy said tugging at his arm. “This is not the place for this bullshit.” He added. “Remember what your father will do if he finds out.” He said. At the back, the blonde was getting hyperactive and frustrated. I narrowed my eyes on her behaviour. The way she ran her hands through her hair in frustration. I was feeling sick looking at her.

The students began murmuring amongst each other, not believing what was happening in front of their eyes. I honestly never expected Gareth to behave in such a manner. His ego took over his thinking. Perhaps, Mr. Kavanaugh was taking his revenge for teasing Mitch. And if it was that, I would say he did a pretty good job. I was also angry for the fact that Gareth ignored me. I was trying to be good and charming in front of him, but all I got was his bored looks.

“Get out!” Mr. Kavanaugh ordered him, his voice an unexpected shade of evil. Students gasped. I shuddered as I saw a menacing glint in his eye as he and Gareth stared at each other. We watched in horror how the school’s heartthrob was thrown out of the bus. 

“Sir, please…” the blonde spoke, tears rolling down her eyes.

He held up his hand, silencing her.

“Does anyone else want to join him?” he asked us. No one said a word. I gulped as his eyes met mine. I slumped down my seat, cold. The driver closed his side of the door with a thud which practically sounded felt like a slap on my skull. He opened the dicky of the bus and removed Gareth’s bag. 

“How am I supposed to go home from here? Hell, I don’t know this place.” Gareth said. His voice could be heard to those sitting towards the right side of the window where I and Cassy were seated. Cassy looked out of the window, watching Gareth’s reaction.

“Asshole.” She muttered. “He shouldn’t have been taken at all.” She said, shaking her head.

“I don’t know son.” The driver spoke in his gruff southern accent. “I ain’t the man for that.”

The students were not in the mood of celebration as the bus drove through the city. We came across small towns and highways. The roads were dusty and Cassy closed the window to prevent the dust from entering. Other students followed suit. The girl in front of me began to cough violently. I offered her my water. She signalled me no. I withdrew the bottle, hurt. Her friend seeing my expression explained to me that she was asthmatic and had to take her dose.

I nodded, understanding. I felt like an idiot. “Sorry, for any miscommunication.” She said.

“It’s okay.” I said, with a shrug.

Around two pm, I and Cassy cuddled together under her hoodie to nap. Shawn was busy playing Subway Surfers, the volume at high speed. 

“Shawn can you lower the volume, please.” I said under the blanket.

When I noticed no difference in the volume, I pulled the blanket down and cracked an eye open. Shawn’s face was practically in the screen. I tapped his arm and he tapped the screen. “What?” he asked, his eyes watery.

“I said, can you please lower the volume.” I cleared my throat. “I and Cassy are trying to sleep.” I added. Cassy was coiled under the blanket, fast asleep. He nodded and lowered the volume. “Thanks.” I said pulled the blanket over me.


	7. Chapter Six: Welcome To Nevada Hills

When I woke up, it was five pm. I yawned and stretched in my seat, looking at Shawn whose head was on my shoulder. I kept my hand behind his head balancing myself in my seat. The bus was shaking due to the rocky highway. I lightly pushed him towards his seat, keeping his phone in his backpack which was above our seats. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I checked my Instagram and Twitter for any trends. 

Fifteen minutes later, the bus took a left and the bus bounced down rough gravel. I was jerked in my seat and cursed the driver for not driving slowly. I looked out and saw that the bus was rounding around a restaurant. There were many people seated in the open-air seating. There were cute little umbrellas that were above the table which shielded the customers from harsh sunlight. I fanned myself. Sweat was sticking to my head and face and I was feeling completely disgusted. The bus stopped in the parking area and the engine was turned off. The driver got off the bus.

Cassy was staring outside, her palm under her face. Shawn was snoring softly. “Yo, where are we?” Cassy asked, stifling a yawn.

“I don’t know.” I replied shrugging. My legs ached and my hands were clammy. I woke up Shawn. He stared at me in sleepiness, his eyes red. 

“Why has the bus stopped?” he asked me, rubbing his eyes.

“Meal time.” I said, closing my eyes. I slumped further down my seat, crossing my hands over my chest.

Mitch clapped his hands, getting our attention. “Guys, please gather down for snacks.” he said. “Bus leaves in twenty-five minutes.” Everyone got to their feet and one by one, everyone got down the bus. When we entered the restaurant, it was almost full. 

I sighed in irritation. “Great.”

Cassy and Shawn couldn’t agree more. “I swear if we don’t get food, I will die from starvation.”

Shawn was rubbing his palm over his tummy. “Is there any other eatery nearby?”

I and Cassy had no idea. Shawn took out his phone and searched for nearby eateries. He scrolled up and down the screen, engrossed. “Uh, um,” he murmured. Then his eyebrows shot up. “Uh, hey look at this!” he said. We huddled around his phone, looking what he found. “There is one a bit away, from here. Like fifteen-minute walk.” He said.

I glanced at Cassy. “Would Mr. Kavanaugh allow us?” 

“We could try.” She said.

There were many students from our bus waiting outside the restaurant, anxious to get food. We approached them quickly. “Hey guys!” Shawn said, getting their attention. They looked at him. “I was wondering if you would want to go another eatery nearby.” He asked, gauging their reaction. Some of them shared looks, while some were still sceptical. “If we don’t get food before the leaving time, we will starve on the way.”

One girl spoke. “Will Mr. Kavanaugh allow us?”

“We can ask him.” he replied. “Also, we are going in a group, we will be safe.” He added, noticing her discomfort. 

Mr. Kavanaugh was eating his pasta when I and Shawn approached him in the bus. The others stood near the door, watching our interaction. Shawn did all the talking. He seemed to be very good at convincing someone when something wasn’t going his way. Mr. Kavanaugh glanced at him, then poked his pasta with the fork. My stomach rumbled in hunger. I was getting irritated as I watched him slowly chew his pasta with the white sauce oozing from the edges. My mouth watered.

“Sir?” Shawn asked him, waiting for his answer. Shawn couldn’t stand still. His courage seemed to be wavering as the minutes ticked by.

It was when he finished licking the last remnants of his fork, that he nodded. “Fifteen minutes extra.” He said. I sighed with relief. I looked back and gave the others a thumbs-up. They were overjoyed.

The eatery was smaller than the restaurant where our bus was parked. We quickly took our seat in the booth. The others sat on the table opposite us. Cassy looked around the eatery like a wild boar, searching for someone or something. I narrowed my eyebrows at her. “You okay?”

She whipped around to face me. her hair whipped my face, its tendrils poking me like microscopic needles. Why did I choose to sit opposite her, I thought. “Where is the damn waiter?” she asked me.

Suddenly out of nowhere, a waitress appeared at our table. My heart lurched in my throat. She came out of thin air. There was no one near the booths when we came. I sat back in my seat, trying to calm my nerves. Damn, I was spooked.

She smiled, showing off her bright white teeth. Her lips were painted a bright shade of red with lip gloss plastered on it. Her dark brown hair was tied in a bun. I started to feel creeped out about her. There was something in her eyes that made me shiver. Even the lighting of this place was odd. The sooner we ate the better, I thought. “Yes, what can I get you?” she asked us. Her eyes glancing at each of us.

“Would you like to eat Chinese?” Cassy asked me. I looked up, dazed. I was busy inspecting her clothing, particularly, the apron she wore. Was that blood?

I nodded too quickly. “Yes.” I replied. “Chinese sounds good.”

She glanced at Shawn and he agreed on the same cuisine. “Okay, so one vegetarian Manchurian fried rice one by two.” She said. The waitress scribbled on her writing pad, nodding.

“Okay.” She said, looking up with a smile. “Coming right away.” And then she walked to the opposite table. There were no customers except us from the picnic. I guessed this eatery didn’t get much customers today. The students from the opposite table placed their orders and she departed towards the kitchen. I watched her walk away. My eyes narrowed on her heels. 

Five minutes later, our food arrived. Cassy ate like a horse. I gave her a glare. She bit her tongue. “Yikes.” She shrugged.

We ate our food in silence. Cassy added the soya sauce while I added the green chilly sauce. A few minutes later, the food for the opposite table arrived and I caught a whiff of waffles and vanilla. I was suddenly transported to the day when dad would feed me waffles at the county fair. I shook my head and continued eating.

The waitress took our plates and we paid the money. Shawn was short on change, so I offered him some of my change. “Thank you.” he said. I smiled in response, pulling his cheek.

All of us raced back to the bus, Shawn checking the time. “Oh shit, they must be waiting.” He said. We were running towards the area where our bus was parked, keeping an eye on the ongoing evening traffic. We didn’t want to cause an inconvenience to the drivers as we kept to the right side of the road. We walked one behind the other, Shawn would occasionally check whether we were keeping up.

When we reached, the bus lights were on and the students were already in it. I saw Mr. Kavanaugh look at us from his ushering us to hurry. I fell on Shawn’s back, but Cassy steadied me. We all ran towards the door and got to our seats. I thanked Mr. Kavanaugh for waiting. The bus took a turn out of the area and onto the main road. The traffic was sparse, so we did not have any trouble while traveling. 

Night had befallen us. I began to wonder how far was Nevada Hills. I checked Nevada Hills on my phone’s map but there was no network. I asked Cassy and she told me that we would reach in half an hour or so. As we travelled, the traffic began to get thinner and hills began to appear. I noticed some different varieties of trees and a dip in the temperature. There was a new feeling to this place, something foreign and unknown. It was as if it was waiting for us to be discovered. I heard an owl hoot and tree leaves shake. The breeze was cool and I smelled wet mud. “Did it rain here?” I asked Cassy.

She frowned at my question. “Nevada Hills has this weird climate which is a stark contrast to all other camping spots in America.” I internally face palmed myself. Why didn’t I get my raincoat? The poster circulated on WhatsApp had mentioned nothing about this. I looked out of the window. the trees were so dense that I could only see a small sliver of the sky. The branches at the top were long and spread out. Their trunks fat and ancient. I also saw a banyan tree which had those rope-like structures hanging down as if the ground was calling out to them. I pictured children giggling and happily swinging from them.

I glanced at the ground. There was no concrete road but mud. I couldn’t make out the colour because of lack of light but I thought it was red mud. The bus rocked as we ascended the rocky terrain and I understood that we were ascending a hill. The slope was steep and occasionally the bus would struggle to reach upwards. Finally, the driver gave up and put off the engine. He opened the glass door of his cabin and spoke to Mr. Kavanaugh. After that, Mr. Kavanaugh clapped to get our attention. “Okay students.” He began. “We’ve reached Nevada Hills.” The students cheered. He smiled at us. “Now, we wanted to take the bus further to the picnic spot but seems like it cannot climb the hill.” He said with a shrug. Students began murmuring. “So,” he said shushing the whispers. “I decided that we would all walk towards it.” There were some groans and some excited whispers. “What do you say?” he asked us.

One by one we got down from the bus. Outside, heavy wind blew that sent dried leaves flying towards us. I shoved my hands in my jeans as me and Cassy waited for the driver to unload our luggage. Students stood behind the bus as the driver used his flashlight to remove our suitcases. Each student had to write their names on their suitcases with a black washable marker. Cassy yawned as she stood next to me waiting for her name to be called out. I looked around the area where we had stopped. There were thick trees on both sides of the path. The slope on which we were standing was rough and muddy. “How many times has our school trekked here?” I asked Cassy.

“Uh, I don’t know.” She said, covering her mouth while yawning. “I guess it’s the first time as I’ve never heard our school going to Nevada.” 

Strange. I thought. Why would our school go to some unknown camping place where there are so many places to visit. And why did anyone try to change that? The more I thought about it, the weirder it felt. What was even more weird was that where was the second bus from our school? 

After everyone got their suitcases, we all gathered in front of the bus where the tour guide introduced himself. He had this bright smile where he told us how much knowledge he had about this particular area. As he spoke, cuckoos cried from the dense trees above. The trees branches began to rustle with the harsh wind. The air felt unnaturally cool. Mitch told us that he was well-versed with this area. He was a tour guide with many schools who visited during the September-October time period. He also told us that he was planning on starting a travel and tourism company which would help schools and colleges organise camping trips. One question seemed to be on the tip of my tongue. Why Nevada Hills?

I had read about American agencies had protected this place from conspiracies that it was full of unhatched alien eggs that lay hidden in some cave deep in Nevada desert. I remember that article clearly. Nevada was a restricted Government property. So, why put all of us in danger? Why get us here? I scanned the area for any tourists. There were none. Did we come here during the off season or is there something……

“Okay, that was about myself. Now, since it is getting dark, I want us all to go the campsite. It’s not far away from here.” We all dragged our trolleys in the muddy paths and walked behind Mitch. Mr. Kavanaugh was behind us.


	8. Chapter Seven: Under The Stars

When we reached the camp site, there were yellow tents kept apart from each other at equal distances. The students were overjoyed when they saw a bonfire lit some feet away from the tents. Cassy grinned at me. “This is so cool.” She said. I nodded giving her a smile but I could feel something wasn’t right. I didn’t know how, but there was something or someone about this place that made my scalp prick.

  
“Welcome to Nevada Hills!” Mitch said in joyous tone. All the students jumped with joy. I hugged Cassy even though I didn’t want to. I was worried about what was in store for us. Mitch rubbed his palms in glee. “I want you all to set up your tents and then meet me and Mr. Kavanaugh at the bonfire.” 

  
Everyone hurried to catch hold of a tent. Cassy stumbled into a guy and he glared at her. “Duh, you were so hard as a wall.” she snarled. We kept our trolleys with some equal amount of space of each other since Shawn told us this tent was big enough to fit three teenagers. He took the spot farthest away from the tent while I and Cassy settled for the zipper side of the tent. We took the opposite spots, leaving a good number of space from each other. She opened her trolley for her shawl and wrapped it around herself. “Urgh, this place is so cold. All because of the trees.” She muttered under her breath. I wore a thick jacket and gloves, while I covered my head with a beanie. Shawn seemed to have taken some inspiration from me. I laughed when I saw him wearing a beanie, jacket and gloves like me.

Half an hour later, all the students settled near the bonfire. “Where are the students from the other bus?” I whispered to Shawn. Dread began to fill me. “We had two busses.”

Shawn seemed to have realised that now. “Oh yeah,” he said looking around. We knew the students who shared classes with us. We knew them by face and name. “Seems like the bus is delayed…” he trailed.

“But for so long?” I asked, glancing at Mr. Kavanaugh. He wasn’t looking worried. “Why is Mr. Kavanaugh not concerned about them?” I whispered.

Shawn told me that he was messaging one of the students who was traveling on the second bus. When he unlocked the phone, the phone display showed him that there was no service. “Oh, great. Look at this. No network!” he sighed in dismay.

“What do we do?” I asked, a bit scared.

“Let me check my phone.” Cassy said. Her phone had network and she called up one of the nature club members who was on the other bus. After a long time, the person picked up. “Yeah hello,” she said. “Hi, where are you guys?” she asked. Cassy listened to what the student said with difficulty. I could hear some static come out of her phone as she strained to listen. “Hey, Elle, I can’t hear you…” she said before she glanced at the screen with a frown.

We looked at her expectantly.

“I couldn’t hear what she was saying.” She shrugged.

We sat there as we listened to Mitch play his guitar for us. He sat on a chair, a bit far away from the bonfire as his melodious voice filled our ears. The students clapped and cheered and enjoyed themselves under the stars. Tonight, was the full moon and as I stared into the sky, I swear I saw the moon turn red for a split second before it returned to its normal shade of white. My mind was not in the mood of enjoyment. I wondered what happened to those students on the other bus? Why hadn’t Mr. Kavanaugh informed us about their delay? This camping trip was for two days. We could’ve waited for another day till the second batch arrived.

After the first song ended, the next one began. This time, he asked us to join him. “Okay, three, two…., three, two, one. Loving can hurt. Loving can hurt sometimes. But it’s the only thing that I know.” Mitch was a pretty good singer. He should be a professional singer. He strummed the guitar in his own set of tunes different from the actual song. “When it gets hard, you know it can get hard sometimes. It is the only thing that makes us feel alive.” He motioned us to sing louder. “We keep this love in a photograph. We made these memories for ourselves. When our eyes are never closing. Hearts are never broken. And time’s forever frozen still.” Mitch smiled at us in approval, giving us a thumbs-up. “So, you can keep me inside the pocket of your ripped jeans. Holding me closer ‘til our eyes meet. You won’t ever be alone, wait for me to come home.”

He set down his guitar and gave us a round of applause. “Damn, you guys can sing!” he said in disbelief. 

“So, can you.” a student behind me said.

He looked around for the source of the voice. “Oh, yes I can. I know.” He laughed. His eyes lit up remembering something. “Okay, so who wants to play this beauty?”

***

After ten o’clock, we returned to our tents. Mitch explained that the next day’s itinerary would be explained tomorrow. I, Shawn and Cassy set up our bedding in the tent. They hadn’t provided us any mattresses for us. We were instructed to get our own bedding which was water proof. So, I stitched a plastic sheet at the base of the mattress to prevent the grass and mud from staining the mattress. 

“Shawn, any idea about the students from the second batch?” I asked him, as I lay in my mattress.

He yawned. “No, idea.”

“That is so strange. Did no one from our bus get any message?” I said to both of them aloud. “I mean someone must’ve talked to them.” Where were they as this time of the night? I stared at the tent’s ceiling. “Do you think Mitch and Mr. Kavanaugh know something we don’t?” I asked them.

“They may.” Cassy replied. “There was another trip co-ordinator on that bus. That person must’ve told them something.”

“But what?” I asked her. “Why not tell us?” I swatted a mosquito with my hand.

We got outside our tent and walked towards Mr. Kavanaugh tent. “Hey, wait for me.” Shawn said in a whisper. All the students were asleep in our tents while we three were the only ones outside sneaking up on our teacher. We hadn’t changed into night clothes because of a heavy trolley. (Yeah, we were weight conscious.) Shawn acted as a look-out, keeping an eye for anyone watching us. The bonfire was almost half an hour away from burning out. The smoke was flying towards our tents, making it difficult to see even under a bright starry sky. 

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Cassy asked us. I rolled my eyes at her. I knew Cassy since we were toddlers. She was always the bold, outgoing one who wouldn’t give a shit about what people talked about her. Even being expelled from the school wouldn’t be taken seriously by her. She hugged her sweater closer to her body.

“Which one is his tent?” I asked Shawn as we walked down the grassy land. There was equal amount of space between the tents of the left and those on the right. The worst path was all of them were yellow in colour so we didn’t know who was in which tent. I am placing my trust on Shawn as he thinks he saw Mr. Kavanaugh going in a tent. The night was cold and much windier than it was when we arrived. I carried a flashlight with me, in case we got lost. I looked at Shawn who hadn’t replied.

“Um, I think the last one.” He said scratching his head.

I stared at him. “You’re not sure?”

He sighed and held his palms up in defence. “See, I said ‘I think I saw him going into that tent’. I wasn’t sure.”

“We should go back to our tent. This is so creepy.” Cassy whispered, scared. I ignored her.

We passed by fifteen tents when Shawn stopped me. He pointed his finger to the last one. I glanced at him. He shrugged. We went towards the tent, but then I saw that the zipper on the outside was pulled down, indicating that no one was inside. “Wait, he’s not inside.” I frowned.

“What?” Shawn asked, confused. “Where would someone go at this time of the night?” he said, looking around.

“Let’s see if Mitch is in his tent.” I said. Cassy hesitated while Shawn kept up with me. Mitch’s tent was the same. There was no one inside.

“Should we open and check?” he said, unsure. I looked at him as if he had grown three heads. I gave him a disgusted look. “What…” he was lost for words. “I mean, you must’ve made a mistake.” He whispered.

I glared at him. “It’s not a mistake.” I had seen the zippers of other tents. They were closed from inside while the outer zipper was open. I knew I wasn’t wrong.

“What do we do now?” Shawn asked me, his hands on his hips.

I sighed. “Why aren’t in their tents?” I asked. I knew it wasn’t my business to interfere into what adults did at night, but they couldn’t let us sleep unguarded. I stared at the darkness that lied some feet away from us. That was where the forest was. I gulped thinking whether Mitch and Mr. Kavanaugh were doing something in that forest.

We made a plan of trying each of their phones. I heard two phones ringing in the tents in front of us. They hadn’t taken their phones with them? Which moron would do that?   
Shawn seemed to be thinking the same. “Wow. That’s what I call being a typical asshole.” He said rolling his eyes. We had no option than to go back to our tent. My eyes were burning and my hands were clammy. I lit my flashlight to guide us through the fog when we came across someone standing in the middle of way, like right in front of our tent. I stopped, frosted in my place. My eyes were glued to the person who stood with a big stick. 

I gripped Shawn’s hand, keeping my eyes on the figure standing ahead of us. He met my gaze and then saw him. “What the actual fuck!” he said. Cassy went pale. Her jaw fell open. “Who the hell is he?”

We didn’t dare to go near him. The person seemed to have been wearing a cap and a dirty shawl around his body. The smog circulated around him, creating an illusion as if he was an incarnation of something unworldly. I pointed my flashlight towards him.

“Who are you?” my voice was unbelievably steady.

He didn’t answer. I glanced at Shawn who was spooked. It looked like he would faint any minute.

“I asked you something…. Who are you and what are you doing here?” I said threatening him. Mitch had never introduced us to him so it was obvious he was here to torture campers. Did he steal something from our tent?

“Why aren’t you in your tent?” came his gruff voice.

“You don’t have the liberty to ask questions.” I replied. “You answer mine first, or else I will wake up everyone over here.” I said.

He took steps towards us, until we were standing close to each other. “I am tent supplier.” He said.

That was awkward. “We’ve got our tents. Why are you still here?”

“Will you let me complete?” he said with a gruff voice.

I nodded. “I was given instructions for the next day’s camping arrangements.”

“Your name?”

“Baron Jones.” He replied. “I work in Nevada. You should be in your tent. Now is not the time to sneak out.” He said and was about to turn away.

“Wait.” I said.

He turned around.

“There was another bus…..” I started, looking at Cassy. “with the second batch of students who were supposed to arrive after us. They haven’t arrived.” I told him.

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Two batches?”

I nodded. “You know anything about why haven’t they arrived?” I watched him pick out a cigarette, light it and smoke it. His eyes were brown and there were many scars on his face. His beard was grey and tangled. His shirt was stained by some type of grease and his pants were dirty. Who is this guy? Is he true to what he has told us or has he lied to us about what he is?

“May be they will never make it.” His reply caught us off guard.

“What makes you say that?” Shawn asked him.

He stared at his cigarette before speaking. “Why would a city school bring it’s students to a place like this?” he asked us.

Immediately, my suspicions about this place were confirmed. The hissing from the trees and the cold wind was a sign for us to back away from a trap we fell in. But who was the hunter? The blood moon, the horrific altered flashback I had about my dad in school, the weird waitress in the eatery. They were all related. I felt guilty for not informing my friends about this. I was warned in a way I would never imagine. I didn’t act soon and this is how things go wrong.

“Why are you asking us this?” Shawn asked him when I didn’t question him.

Baron eyes blazed. There was something crazy about him that made me take a cautionary step back. “This place is cursed. I think it didn’t leave the students from the other bus.”


	9. Chapter Eight: SOS

I was stunned into silence. Chills crept my spine. I got the feeling of being watched. 

“No way. How is that possible?”

“Ever asked your teacher why he chose this place?” he said, suddenly coming closer to Shawn. Shawn put up his hands to keep some distance between him. He gave him a scared look.

Baron looked behind us and then around himself. “This is not the place to talk.” He whispered. “Near the bonfire, now!” There was something in his voice that commanded me to follow him. The three of us followed him towards the bonfire, passing by the tents of sleeping students.

When we reached the bonfire, it was reduced to ashes. What remained were the embers of the wood. “Help me with logs, will you?” he said. I and Shawn help him in lifting the logs, locking eyes with each other occasionally. We put the logs at the centre and Baron started the fire. He sat on the grass and we joined him reluctantly.

“Do you think he can be trusted with what he knows?” Cassy asked me, suddenly. She was quiet the whole time that I forgot that she was with us.

I met her gaze. I was as scared as her. Shawn was staring at Baron who was smoking a cigarette. “There is no one else who can help us.” I told her. I was keeping my fingers crossed. If this guy planned to kill us, I would scream. The wind grew stronger, sending gusts of cold wind towards us. I pulled up the zipper till my neck. 

“What did you mean about that statement, you made earlier?” I asked him, eyes watching his every move.

He took another inhale of his cigar, sending the smoke in our direction. I waved it away with annoyance. “The truth.” He replied.

“What truth?” I asked him.

“Why did your school think of coming here for the camp?” he asked ignoring my question.

“Answer my question first.” I demanded.

“Until, I get my answer.” He replied. His face contorted into some unknown anger that he was letting out on me. 

“I don’t know.” I replied with a shrug. 

“What does that got to do with Mitch and Mr. Kavanaugh?” Cassy whispered towards my right. I told her that I had no clue but it was possible that this guy was mad or he was thief who was too good at stories. I preferred the first option.

“Well, then all of you are already a part of this trap.” He said, making me stand up abruptly. My eyes were wide and my feet had turned to ice. “Sit down please.” He said, “He’s watching you.”

“Who?” Shawn asked, looking around.

“You don’t know?” he asked, confused. 

“We don’t know what?” Shawn asked, his patience wearing him. Damn, this guy had a way of twisting words. 

What he said next, made me wish I had never registered for this picnic in the first place. Baron’ eyes had shone a different colour. The fire was blazing and his words were coals. My head began to throb with each word he said. This was not the time for a panic attack, I said to myself. I didn’t want to die. I was too young to die. “There is a legend forged in history, where men cower whenever that name is said,” he said scratching his beard. “This legend is a true one and he continues to stalk humans during the night and takes great pleasure in doing so. Once upon a time lived a man who had a terminal illness. He went far and wide for cure but he couldn’t find one. For a blood so rare and a man so destined to change the fate which he was meant to meet, he tried everything he could to cheat death. Days past, he kept getting weaker and thinner. He was pale and his eyes were hollow.”

“What does this have to with Mitch and ---” he held up a hand. 

“So, as I was saying, one found day, he stumbled upon a cave that he found in Greece and found a cave full of bats.”

“Bats?” Shawn asked.

“He captured one of the bats and used it’s blood in his system igniting something that went against the laws of nature. He went looking for cure but settled for a curse.” He chuckled, shaking his head.

“How do you know this?” I asked him.

“I worked for him.”

I and Shawn shared worried looks.

“The side effects were damaging. He became sensitive to light and would always be confined to his bedroom. One day he attacked one of his staff. Killed him. The police kept looking for him, but he was nowhere to be found. The company he founded went bankrupt and the employees left. What remains is a deserted building with pending dues.”

He had still not answered my question and that was irritating me.

“And coming to your teacher and the tour guide…” A blood curdling scream came from the forest. We sprang up from the grass, looking at each other.

“Who was that?” Cassy asked Baron.

“The hunter.” Baron replied. “You made a huge mistake coming to this place.” He said.

“What was that?” I asked him. “What aren’t you telling us?” I asked him, my blood now cold. 

“It’s too late now.” He said, gulping. “He wants blood.”

We sensed some movement from the bushes in the forest. Then I saw a blood soaking Mitch run out of the forest. When he saw us, he stopped and came running towards us. “Oh shit, is that Mitch?” Shawn asked.

My hands went cold. Cassy gripped my arm so tightly, that her nails created half moons on my jacket. He was bleeding all over the body. His shirt was ripped in all places and his head had so many bloody wounds. His hands had bloody scrapes running up and down. “Get everyone out!” he said.

“Mitch, what happened to you?” I asked him, my voice not sounding my own.

His voice came out in gasps. Blood pooling out of his mouth, trickling down his throat. I shut out those images. “There, there is something in the forest.” He said. “None of you are safe here… Get everyone on the bus and get out of here.” He said.

“Where is our teacher?” Shawn asked him.

“He’s dead.” He replied. 

I was beyond scared.

“What? How is that possible?” Shawn asked.

“I went out to look for him because he was supposed to meet him in his tent.” He said. “I found him with his insides ripped out.” That was enough for me to vomit. I sank to the ground vomiting in the grass. Mitch went to his tent while we woke up the students. They were shocked when we told them what had happened. Some said that we were lying but when we showed them Mitch they started packing. Mitch called up the driver but he wasn’t picking up the phone.

We all decided to walk towards the bus. We carried torches in our hands made from tree barks. Baron helped us making these torches. The walk down the hill was tiring. My eyes were burning. Mitch led the path, telling us to keep our eyes open and also on the stones below.

Half an hour later, we reached the bus, but found the half-eaten body of the driver. Some of the students began to cry in fear. Mitch told them to calm down when suddenly, something black lifted him off the ground, spraying blood in our faces. 

We all made a dash for the bus, a stampede taking place. “Guys wait!” one of the students said. No one seemed to pay attention. We were all desperate to get inside the bus. The students rushed inside the bus, quickly sitting on their seats. I and Shawn were yet to enter the bus while Cassy got a seat inside. I looked around myself, scared that whatever swooped Mitch from the ground, would choose a new target. The students struggled to push themselves through the thin door of the bus, jostling in.

Finally, we got inside and took our place on the back seats. “Someone start the bus!” I heard a girl say. Everyone kept looking around for someone to get up and drive the bus. My eyes fell on the bloody body of the driver. There was so much blood in his cabin, that I felt the bile rise to my throat. When no one stood up, everyone began to shout and scream not knowing who said what. Then one boy stood up. “Who knows to drive?” he asked looking wildly for a show of hands. “Fine! I’m driving!” he said, shaking his head at us. He opened the door of the driver’s cabin and asked one of the students seated in the front to help him move the body. They left the body outside near the bushes and Jake starts the engine. He reversed the bus and after the bus turned the opposite side, the bus rode downhill.

The ride downhill was very fast. Jake was certainly driving beyond speed limits, but it didn’t matter anymore. We wanted to get out of the place, fast. I closed the window since the cold wind and the smell of mud was giving me a headache. Then Jake took a right turn where the bus descended the hill. Just as we crossing the river bank towards the other side of the path, the windshield broke and Jake was pulled out of the driver’s seat, screaming in horror. Everyone screamed in terror. The students seated behind the driver’s cabin ran towards the back, stumbling over their bags. The bus skidded to a halt as engine ran idle. Some students began to cry. “Oh my God, he’s dead. What was that thing?”

“What the heck was that?” someone asked but no knew the answer.

Where was Baron? I thought to myself. After we escaped, he was nowhere to be seen. 

Shawn cowered in his seat, shaken as to what he witnessed. He pulled his legs towards his chest, burying his face. We all ran out of the bus, keeping our eyes out for our predator. The hill was steep and I slipped. However, Shawn helped me to my feet. When we took a turn and ran down the mountain, a light shown behind us and we saw a huge truck honking at us. Everyone gasped as we wondered who was the person behind the wheel. The truck stopped a few feet away, its lights on. “Get in!” the gruff voice said. I immediately recognised it as Baron’s voice.

Students ran towards him, not bothered to know how he had found us. One by one students opened the olive-green flap of the truck, climbing in the truck. There were space constraints but everyone made place for each other. Some students even sat near the driver’s seat after place at the back was full. “Everyone on board?” Baron asked us.

We all nodded. He started the truck and took us downhill. Everyone was silent. I looked out for Cassy. She was nowhere to be seen. I told that to Shawn. He messaged her and she replied saying that she was in the driver’s seat. Sometime later, I got up from my seat and sat near Cassy. I gave her a hug and she cried on my shoulder. I rubbed her back, making her calm down. 

“Looks like this thing will not leave you alone, eh?” Baron said, grinning. His teeth were black and his gums were yellow. He had worn his cap, shielding his eyes from us. I was shocked by the way he was reacting to this situation we all were in. 

“What was that thing?” a girl asked him. She was that blonde, Gareth’s friend. Her hair was in a disarray. “It killed five people.”

“That thing…” he trailed, keeping his eyes on the road. I stared at him, my jaw ticking. Why didn’t Baron warn our teacher when he knew that this place was cursed? “It’s as old time. Something that has lived here for centuries.”

“Just come to the point!” I said in anger. Everyone stared at me. “You knew about this thing. You seem to share an old history, so why hasn’t it targeted you?”

Everyone gasped. Murmurs began to pass. Baron’s attention was on the road, he seemed to be ignoring my question by smoking his cigarette.

“Tell me!” I shrieked and this time he jumped. His hand came to his heart as tried to calm down.

“You’re gonna give me a heart attack, girly.” He said, scared. Everyone looked at him for an answer. “His name is Morbius. I was his security guard when he was undergoing the trials in his lab and when he became unstable after the tests, he caught hold of me and told me to make arrangements for a safehouse. I told him that I had a family to look after and he bit a chunk of my neck, warning me.” he said in one breath.

“Wait,” one student said. “This doesn’t make any sense. How were you employed by him?”

Baron narrated to him how he was employed as a security personnel in Michael Morbius’s bio-technology laboratory. He told him everything about the rare blood disease he had and how he struggled to find a cure. “I agreed and after doing some research, I told him about Nevada Hills, an abandoned Government testing facility where nuclear tests would be done. After the Vietnam War, the U.S Government shut down the facility. I told him that it was a perfect place for him to stay unidentified and hidden from his enemies.”

“His enemies?” the same student asked.

Baron continued. “For years, no one visited this place until today. You all have done a grave mistake coming here. I wanted to warn all of you but I couldn’t.”

I checked my watch for the time. It was around two am. I closed my eyes to sleep. 

When I woke up it was four am. Shawn was fast asleep beside me, his arm on my waist. I gently put his arm aside, not wanting to wake him up. I sat upright looking at the other students. Half of them were asleep while some were awake. Baron wasn’t in the driver’ seat and immediately alarm bells sounded in my head. I then smelt gasoline and people talking loudly. Looking out of the window, I saw that Baron was buying gasoline at a local gas station. “All filled up.” The young boy who filled the gas said. Baron playfully ruffled his hair and the boy laughed. There were at least four people working at the station.

Baron started the engine and took the truck onto rocky terrain. The truck shook violently, and I tried hard not to hit my head against the truck’s wall. The familiar smell of mud and trees filled my senses and I saw the full moon shine brightly. Clouds passed over it for a brief second before I saw a light tinge of red fill its craters. I watched in horror how the colour filled a crater like flowing water and then it spread to other craters. Gradually it spread to the whole moon engulfing it in red. A loud thud resounded on the truck’s roof and I looked up. Baron mumbled something to himself before he removed something from the dashboard. 

My eyes fell open at the long gun he retrieved. Baron possessed a gun? I shook Shawn from his sleep. He looked at me sleepily, before falling asleep again. “Shawn!” I said, shaking him violently. “Baron’s got a gun!” I said, shaking him. The loud thud seemed to have awoken the students around me. They seemed to be sharing scared looks. 

“You!” Baron said, pointing at a girl near me. She looked at him in fear. “Get up and load this barrel.” He said throwing the barrel towards her. She caught it and nodded immediately, filling the barrel with bullets. After the barrel was filled with bullets, she handed it to him. He handed her another one and quickly filled the barrel with bullets.


	10. Epilogue: Cat and Mouse

The thud became louder and we all could see dents on the truck’s roof. “Who can drive this truck?” he looked at us with a madman’s look. No one said anything. “No one? None of you have passed Driver’s Ed.?” He said, his expression looking at us pathetically. “Typical urban students.” He grumbled.

Then one hand went up lazily. “Actually,” I saw Avery yawn aloud. “I can.” He said, his eyes glassy from sleep.

Baron stared at him for a couple of seconds. “Get your ass here.”

Avery drove us downhill through the thick forests. How big were these forests? I thought to myself. Baron sat behind him, the barrel in his hand. He looked at the girl who filled the barrel with bullets. “When you hear the loud thudding, shoot upwards.” He told her. The girl nodded. As Avery took a sharp turn, the bus skidded towards the end of the road. Avery quickly brought the bus on the gravel, cursing at himself.

The thud sounded as if someone was walking on the roof finding a way to get in. Baron shot upwards distracted, creating multiple holes in the roof. He was trying hard to concentrate on the road. This part of the forest had sharp turns and accidents occurred here. The truck was filled with the screams of the students who cowered on the floor, not knowing what to do. 

The driver’s door was ripped open and the creature snatched Avery out of the truck. Everyone screamed in horror how the blood streamed down the door. I heard the sound of bones breaking and a gurgled scream resounding in the truck. The driver’s seat was painted in blood. Streams of blood flowed down the door and upon the broken glass and the hinges of the door.

Blood. So much blood. The blood on the moon. The crazy look in his eyes…. They all were a warning, a warning I had ignored. Why didn’t I know? My head began to throb. The girl in the restaurant. We all heard growls and scratches on the roof as thud resounded in the grasses. What happened next was a blur. Baron opened the flap of the truck and rained bullets on the creature attacking us. “Someone better drive that truck,” he shouted, firing bullets. Everyone was too scared to do anything. When no one did anything Baron shrieked. “Someone fucking get up and do it before that thing eats us all alive!!”

When no one did, Baron handed his barrel to another student and drove the truck. A few feet away, we all stared at the creature standing in the middle of the road. Everyone screamed at Baron to sever right but he paid no heed to our screams. He thrust the accelerator and rammed the truck into the creature. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion. The creature seemed to be staring straight at me, his eyes shrouded in mystery. His stature seemed unworldly. What kind of creature attacks humans? The truck lights illuminated the creature and for the first time I saw him clearly.

His face was grey and his eyes were blood red. He had shoulder-length hair which was curly and seemed wet. I narrowed my eyes at his mouth, shuddering. His mouth was smeared with blood. My eyes travelled to his chin. Blood was dripping from his chin; dripped to his ripped clothes. I stared at the way the blood dripped. 

_ Drip. _

_ Drip. _

_ Drip. _

_ The blood on the moon. _

_ A warning. _

_ The missing students from the second batch. _

It was all a warning. I was the only one who had seen it. I should’ve prevented it. But all I cared was not to make Cassy’s day sad. I was such a pathetic friend. At that moment, I hated myself.

My vision shifted to a bus situated on a lonely road. There was someone seated in the driver’s seat, but I couldn’t see who it was. My feet took me towards the bus, near the driver’s seat. I gasped when I saw that it was full of blood. The white paint of the bus was painted red. Blood was everywhere. It was smeared on every window. The glass had smashed brains. There were clumps of hair on the glass. Bile rose to my throat. I controlled it. Not now, I said to myself. I needed to know what happened. Who was behind this?

My feet found their way towards the door, entering on their own accord. All I saw was a blood bath. There were several severed heads. Headless bodies. Luggage was toppled on the bodies, some soaked in blood. I saw bloody handprints on the steel wall. Then my eyes fell on a long thick line of a body being dragged towards the back seat. Everything turned in monochrome. I stared at my hands. I had no hands? Where was my body? I tried to feel my body but I couldn’t feel my body. I saw a girl whose eyes were missing. Another boy lay sprawled on another boy whose neck had a deep gash.

The glass shattered at the impact, sending shards flying towards us. I shielded my eyes and looked down as the students screamed. I heard a growl and then felt the truck being lifted. I didn’t dare to look up as to how he managed to lift it. The next thing I knew was that the students near the end of the truck fell out of the truck; the truck plunged into the ditch. The truck turned turtle several times as it plunged down the mountain. My vision spun as everything seemed to fall on me. My eyes swirled with a tornado of colours and everything in my head hurt. I could still here some students scream and felt the gun fall on my head before it cluttered somewhere else.

I heard the sound of a stream flowing nearby, clashing with stones. I heard the sounds of crickets chirping and owls hooting. Then the truck smashed into the water, the water gushed inside the now destroyed windshield. I tried to find someplace to hold but all I could find were dead bodies of students falling on each other. My hand was cut, I realised by a huge glass piece. So much blood. No, I thought. Don’t let it get to your head. Blood needed to be something which shouldn’t bother me. I needed to survive. Water filled into the truck which was now right inside the water. I tried to come up for air but I felt dead bodies blocking the space above me. Water filled my lungs. I was losing it, I knew. But I couldn’t lose. I pushed through the heap of bodies and came above water, gasping for air. I looked above me and saw the truck’s flap a foot away from me. 

I reached for the flap and got out of the truck, every inch of my body oozing in pain. My head was bleeding. I felt the back of my head sting. My entire body was wet. I stumbled out of the truck, my shoes puffing out all the water on the stones. My jacket was heavy from the water. I stared at the moon in the sky, my eyes drooping. The wind blew and I hugged myself. But it was useless, the wind was chilling the water to my bones. I took shaky steps on the stones, my feet buckling under me. I fell on the stones, my knees hurt. My vision became blurry and out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone approaching. 

My eyes were burning from the lack of sleep and slowly the figure walked towards me. It finally stooped towards me and grinned at me. Gone was the predatory creature and it was replaced by a thirty-something man. I don’t know how long he stooped before me, watching me. Then suddenly, he bit my throat, my screams echoing in the place around me. I felt him drinking my blood, slowly and steadily. I didn’t even make an attempt to fight him. 

Why? 

Did I want to die? 

May be.


End file.
